Megan Rapinoe has said she could have helped the U.S. women’s national team in its 1-1 draw against the Netherlands, but added that any of her teammates could have as well.
The USWNT could only draw the Dutch in their second World Cup match, leaving them with work to do against Portugal in their finale to assure a place in the knockout round and a first-place finish in Group E.
One of the major talking points surrounding the game was head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s decision to only use one of his five available substitutions — a halftime swap with Rose Lavelle entering for Savannah DeMelo.
Rapinoe was one of several bench options Andonovski declined to use, and spoke at a press conference Sunday about her thoughts during the second half against the Netherlands.
“I think I could have helped,” Rapinoe said. “But I think Lynn [Williams] could have helped, and I think Trinity [Rodman] was helping and I think [Sophia Smith] was helping, and we had chances. It was right there for us. I don’t think that it was like all the players on the field didn’t do their job. I think that they were giving everything and still creating chances up till the very end and just wasn’t able to get that last goal.”
“[Andonovski] knows every single sub wants to go in the game,” Rapinoe added. “He explained to [the media] that he felt like we had the momentum. Ultimately, that’s his decision. I feel like the players that were off the field felt like players on field were going to score.”
Rapinoe played a starring role at the 2019 World Cup but was expected to be used more sparingly at this World Cup. That has played out in the first two games, with the veteran playing 27 minutes in the opener against Vietnam before not seeing the field against the Netherlands.
As the 38-year-old takes in her final World Cup ahead of her impending retirement, she said she can still contribute plenty to the USWNT cause on and off the field.
“You can still play at an extremely high level. You can still keep a really high standard. You still have a lot to offer, both on the field and off the field,” she said.
“Maybe you’re not going to be a starter playing 90 minutes or playing the bulk of the games. But you know, sometimes the veteran players, that’s not what you need. You need the 20 minutes in two games that wins the team the tournament, or wins the game and gets to the next round.”
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